The Ministry of Environment
This branch is responsible for the design, development, implementation and evaluation of a wide array of pollution prevention and remediation activities throughout British Columbia to fulfil its goal of preventing pollution at source and remediating where necessary. The branch takes a leadership approach by using a combination of tools such as legislation, regulation, industry product stewardship programs, environmental management systems, market based instruments, guidelines and standards, education, planning processes and a unique contaminated site remediation system. Various stakeholders and partners including industry, environmental groups, First Nations, all levels of government within the province, regional staff and the public are consulted at many levels of program design and development.
The key activities of the Environmental Management Branch are:
pollution prevention and implementing the 5R waste management hierarchy (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover, Residual Management) - setting and enforcing pollution standards;
regualating waste discharges to ensure the ambient environment is protected;
developing economic instruments to reduce pollution, including user-pay practices;
providing public information and education on pollution issues;
implementing the Contaminated Sites Regulation;
delivering an Integrated Pest Management Strategy for BC New initiatives of the Environmental
Management Branch include:
implementing the Municipal Sewage Regulation - Demolition Material Diversion Strategy ; Organic Matter Recycling Regulation (including Biosolids);
draft 2.0 under development - Contaminated Sites Regulation;
Stage II Comprehensive Review - Pesticide Control Act Regulation Amendments The Evironmental Management Branch works with a variety of interest groups including environmental groups, industry, municipalities and the general public
Company Details
Company Information
Harry Vogt
Title:
Manager
Area of Responsibility:
Management Executive
Telephone:
(250) 387-9953
Fax:
(250) 953-3854
Email:
Click Here
Margaret Eckenfelder
Title:
Assistant Deputy Minister
Area of Responsibility:
Management Executive
Telephone:
(250) 387-1288
Fax:
(250) 387-5669
Email:
Click Here
Margaret Eckenfalde
Title:
Manager
Area of Responsibility:
Management Executive
Telephone:
(250) 387-1280
Fax:
(250) 387-5669
Email:
Click Here
Don Fast
Email:
Click Here
Eric Partridge
Title:
Assistant Deputy Minister
Telephone:
(250) 387-1288
Fax:
(250) 387-5669
Products
Environmental Products And Services
See Environmental Management Branch Website:
http://Wlapwww.Gov.Bc.Ca/Epd/
BC Environment has implemented a management strategy for household hazardous substances and other post-consumer residuals, which is based on the 'Polluter-Pays Principle'. This approach will provide British Columbians with safe, convenient access to disposal and recycling options, so that household hazardous or other post consumer products encompassed in the strategy are not improperly disposed of in storm drains and municipal landfills.
The purpose is to ensure that industry assumes full life-cycle responsibility for the products it creates. In the case of selected post-consumer residuals from household hazardous products, this approach includes moving from government-managed product residual programs to full life-cycle industry stewardship programs - an environmental management system based on the principles of industry efficiency, accountability and environmental responsibility.
British Columbia's stewardship strategy has taken takes into account the information gathered in 1993 from the BC Environment Household Hazardous Waste Collection Pilot Project and the Waste Reduction Commissioner's report 'Greener Homes, Cleaner Communities'. Both sources indicated that paint, solvents and domestic pesticides were the most prevalent household hazardous waste streams in British Columbia. These products comprised 95% of the household hazardous waste stream and therefore warranted immediate attention.
To date, North America's first industry stewardship program for paint has been implemented by the paint industry in British Columbia. Similar product stewardship programs for solvents, flammable liquids, gasoline, pharmaceuticals, and domestic pesticides are also in operation. The most recent stewardship initiative has expanded the deposit-refund system to encompass all containers of ready-to-serve beverages except for milk. In total the system accounts for the management of 1.5 billion containers each year in the province.
Standard Field And Analytical Methods And Procedures.
In order to ensure sample representativeness and accuracy of lab results, standard methods and procedures must be employed by all stakeholders.
To help achieve this goal, BC Environment has developed the following manuals of standard methods in consultation with industry and stakeholders: Field Sampling Manual (1996); Laboratory Manual For Analyses of Water / Wastewater / Sediment and Biological Material (1994)
These manuals outline the acceptable specifications for sample collection and analytical techniques to be used for the evaluation of environmental conditions anywhere in British Columbia. The technical expertise compiled in these 2 manuals can be used by private labs and consultants to save client's time and money by avoiding costly re-visits. The manuals are provided on 3.5 inch disks and are available through The Government of British Columbia's Queen's Printer Publication Centre, 563 Superior Street, Victoria, BC, V8V 4R6. Phone: 1-800-663-6105 in Canada, or (250) 387-4161. Further details about fees and ordering are available from the British Columbia Government Publications Index web page: http://www.publications.gov.bc.ca.
For forest related environmental monitoring, stakeholders are referred to the standard protocol manuals published by the Resource Inventory Committee (RIC). They can be found at: http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/RIC/standards.htm
Integrated Pest Management (ipm) Technology.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a decision making process that uses all available techniques in an organized program to suppress pest populations in effective, economical and environmentally safe ways.
The IPM approach has been shown to reduce and frequently eliminate pesticide uses, thus protecting the environment from any adverse effects of pesticide over-use. A 1991 BC Environment survey found examples of a 60-80% reduction in insecticide use when growers in British Columbia used the services of IPM consultants to monitor their crops. IPM programs also confer other benefits, including protecting crop yields, maintaining ornamental site values and providing long-term control of pests. Ideally, IPM programs are based on the use of preventative measures and biological controls; chemical controls are only acceptable if there is a good rationale for their use within the context of the IPM program.
BC Environment is promoting IPM by converting pesticide applicator training to IPM training, replacing the pesticide use permit system with a pest management plan requirement, sponsoring conferences and workshops and by providing information to the public and to pest managers. This includes a searchable library of IPM information available on the internet (WWW address: http://pupux1.env.gov.bc.ca/~ipmis/ipmis.html) as well as brochures, newsletters, fact sheets and technical reports.
Bc Environment's 'water Quality Index' And 'british Columbia Water Quality Status Report'.
The British Columbia Water Quality Index and Status Report were developed as tools to inform the public about water quality in specific water bodies (including groundwaters, freshwaters, and marine waters) within the province of British Columbia.
BC Environment has developed this service in consultation with industry and stakeholders using expertise from various public and private agencies.
The BC Water Quality Index reduces large amounts of monitoring data into a single numerical value and slots water quality into one of five categories: excellent, good, fair, borderline, or poor. The index value is derived using an extensively tested model which compares field data against site specific water quality objectives (safe limits, set by the Ministry to protect specific uses of a water body). The index accounts for a wide range of environmental factors (including contaminants of concern, and key characteristics of the water column, sediments and aquatic life) but does not account for transient physical events such as low water levels or chemical spills.
The index has been applied to 124 selected water bodies, including groundwater aquifers, streams, lakes, marine inlets and bays. Water Quality Index results will be presented in the prototype Status Report which gives a detailed snapshot of the overall water quality conditions within a water body for a specific time period.
Information about the Water Quality Index and model is available in hard copy format, free of charge as of January 1996, either as a brochure or as a technical report. The prototype Water Quality Status Report is scheduled for release in late April 1996 and will be available in hard copy, free of charge.
Additional water quality information can be obtained via internet at http://www.elp.gov.bc.ca/wat/wq/wqhome.html
Bc Environment's Electronic Registry Which Lists Land Undergoing Environmental Assessment Or Remediation.
BC Environment's Site Registry is mandated under the Contaminated Sites Regulation of the Waste Management Act. The Act calls for the creation of a Site Registry to provide information on preliminary and detailed environmental site investigations, orders, approvals and any other pertinent regulatory decisions with respect to a particular site, essentially creating a 'record of process'.
The Site Registry is delivered to the public via a service in British Columbia called BC OnLine, which also provides land title, tax assessment and other land related information. Site Registry information is provided to BC OnLine using BC Environment's internal Site Information System (SITE). SITE is a client/server application accessible by ministry personnel throughout the province over BC Environment's LAN/WAN.
The Site Registry allows the public to easily search for site information via three search methods.
These searches are: A numeric search using a legally-titled PID (Parcel Identifier for privately owned land), or a PIN (Crown Land Parcel Identification Number); a street address; the area-based search which allows the user to search for sites within a specified distance from known coordinates (Latitude and Longitude).
Each query creates a 'Search Result' list allowing the selection of a synopsis or a detailed report of the site's activity.
The Site Registry is a pay-for-use system. For more information please see the Contaminated Sites homepage at: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/epdpa/iwhc/cshome.html
Services